JACO Designs KENTUCKY RIFLE +45 Caliber Muzzle Loader This entire pamphlet copy: tylited In 1976 by JACO Designs © This pamphlet contains all the information you will need to construct the KENTUCKY RIFLE. Study the plans carefully until you can easily picture the parts and how they work with each other. The plans are shown on two prints. The large print shows the entire rifle. The smaller print shows the assembly and details of the lock. You should be able to build this rifle for little more then the cust uf the barrel. The barre! will cost between $25 and $45 depending on where you buy it. The remaining parts can be built from a small amount of 1/8 and 1/4 sheet steel, some steel rod, some brass and various bolts and wood screws. € the thickness of the metal parts is specified, the actual thickness can vary a little and will have no effect on the gun performance. The stock can be made from one plece of wood 5/8 x 10 x 36 of a type of your choice. The Kentucky Rifle rifle represents American firearm design in the mid 1800's. The long barrel and lightweight, almost delicate style, typify the rifle used for protection while traveling on foot and for food gathering. The cap and ball rifle was a carry-over from the fliwt luck style but uelTizing the more effective cap type ignition system. The JACO Kentucky Rifle has been simplified for ease of construction without sacrificing the clean functional design of the originals. The rifle is not an exact copy of any particular rifle. Bullding the rifle is a very rewarding experience and will give you much satisfaction. You will find you do not have to spend a lot of money to have and to enjoy a well built rifle. With it you can participate in the fun and romance of using muzzle loading weapons of the not too distant past. JACO designed the rifle for use in the field such as deer hunting. With round or minte ball, the rifle is accurate out to and exceeding 100 yards. The hammer Is easy to fully cock. This is due to an over center design feature of the main spring drive system. This techniques, used on all JACO gun designs, also results in very low sear notch forces. The low sear notch forces practically eliminates wear on the sear and allows unhardened stock to be used fur che sear bar and the tumbler. It also provides the desired "crisp! trigger release desired by most shooters. The rifle contains a simple patch box in the stock and features a tiger striped ram rod. The patch box, ram rod guides, toe plate and muzzle cap are brass, while everything else is steel. After you have studied the plans and are ready to start construction, you should have the following tools on hand. Hand tools include a small 6 inch file. a 10 inch File, a small rat tail file, hacksaw, pliers, small hammer, center punch, scriber and a vise. The JACO Holding and Filing Fixture is a very handy tool to have and constructing the fixture is good practice for those new to the gun making art. While a drill press is not essential, It 1s highly desirable to have one. The more tools and equipment you have, the easier it will be to make the parts. Unless other material Is called out, all steel parts are made from cold rolled steel sheet stock or rods. An excellent source of Pin material is the common copper coated steel welding rod used with acetylene welding. You will have a completely satisfactory rifle if you build it as instructed. Because we have no control over the materials you will use, the workmanship or possible use of the rifle, JACO will not assume any responsibility for these items. Do not change the design of the rifle as the parts shown have been carefully proportioned to work properly.This pamphlet may not be copied in part or whole without written consent of JACO. 1 = BARREL - The barrel of the JACO KENTUCKY RIFLE is .45 caliber, 13/16 across the flats, octagonal shape, 44 Inches long and with a rifling twist of one turn In 66 Inches. Barrels are available 44 inches long from practically all barrel manufacturers. Get information and prices from the barrel sources JACO provided, select the one you want and order it. When the barrel arrives, the first thing to do Ts to louk Tt uver very carefully. There are several things to consider In deciding which end of the barrel will be the muzzle end and which will be the breech end. If there is a large nick or dent in the barrel, it can be hidden by Installing the nicked spot in the stock. Examine the bore to see how well it is centered in the octagonal ends of the barrel. Pick the end that is best centered and use that as the muzzle end. The end that Is off center should be used as the breech end. Locate the off center condition so that it is either high or low but detinitely not side to side. This is done so that when the sights are installed they will be centered over the barrel. If the barrel is tapped for a breech plug, the muzzle end is selected for you. However, you should cut about 1/2 Inch off the muzzle end to get to perfect riflings. The rifling cutters run out at the muzzle and the easiest way to remove the imperfect riflings is to cut off a bit of the barrel at the muzzle end. Draw file the barrel full length to remove minor dents and sharpen up the octagonal shape. File the muzzle end square, which is easy if you have built a JACO filing fixture. Break the sharp edge of the muzzle octagon with little chamfers at 45° about 1/32 wide Carefully countersink the muzzle riflings with a 90° c'sink down to the groove diameter. Hake a wooden dowel, 1/2 diameter with one end conical the same as your c'sink. Put emery cloth on the conical end and polish the lands you just chamfered. Locate the hole for the drum and drit1 and top for a 5/16 -24 thread. Tap the drum hole as square to the barrel flat as you can. We urge you to buy @ barre! alrcady topped for the breech pluy ty save the effort and because you cannot do it better than the barrel maker anyway. Make three barrel tenons as shown from 3/16 x 1/l steel. Drill ‘the 1/16 holes shown, but do not drill the 1/8 holes. Do not attach to the barrel yet. 2 ~ INSTALLING THE BREECH PLUG - If your barrel is not breech threaded, tap drill the breech end of the barrel with a 9/16 dia. drill 11/16 deep. Make every effort to keep the drill parallel with the barrel. Tap the hole with a 5/8 - I8NF th'd to a depth of 5/8 inches. Grind the end of the tap flat to make a bottoming tap out of it. Re-tap the hole so that the threads go down to the end of the tap drilled hole. Obtain a bolt or piece of threaded rod that is threaded 5/8 - 18. File the end of the threaded rod square and remove the threads back about 3/32 inch. Make a small chamfer on the rod to match the tap drill shape In the barrel. Check your barrel If it came topped since it may have a flat bottomed tap drill hole. If it does, do not chamfer the breech plug face. iow when you screw the rod into the barrel the chamfer should seat on the drill point in the barrel and be a good gas tight seal. This will keep the black powder residue from fouling the threads so that you can remove the breech plug easily If you ever have to. Drive the plug into the barrel hard with a pipe wrench. Cut the plug 30 that 5/8 sticks out of the barrel. File a flat on the top of the plug where the tang will go. The flat should be at about an 8 degree slope to better match the shape of the stock.3 - INSTALL TANG ON BREECH PLUG - The tang is made from a piece of steel 1/8 x 3/8 x 31/2 Inches long. File one end of the tang to fit flat against the barrel when the tang Is held on the breech plug. File the sides of the breech plug to the same width as the tang right up to the end of the barrel. Clamp the tang to the breech plug making sure that the tang Is parallel to the barrel when viewed from above. The tang should fit the rear surface of the harrel with no gape co that when you finich the filing of the tang and barrel there will be no gap. Take the whole works to the local welders and have it welded exactly as follows. Lay a bead in the corner between the tang and the end of the breech plug. Use an arc welder only. If you do the welding use 3/32 rod and about 90 amps current setting. Do not weld along the sides of the tang. Remove the tang and breech plug assembly from the barrel being careful that you do not shift the tang on the breech plug. Now weld along the sides of the tang. Begin welding at the rear of the Dreech plug and move forward toward the threaded end ot the plug. Stop betore you get to the threads and be careful that you do not melt down the upper corner of the tang. File down the weld flush with the sides of the tang. Locate the hole in the tang and dril1 with a 3/16 dia. drill and counter sink for the flat head screw. Round the end of the tang as shown. Bend the tang to the shape required to fit the stock. Install the breech plug in the barrel and file the top of the tang to match the barrel but do not round off the top of the tang yet. You will do this when the barrel is in the stock to get a perfect fit. 4 ~ DRUM AND NIPPLE - Drums and nipples may be purchased from any store dealing In muzzle loader suppTtes. However, they can be made easily if you have a drill press or a netal turning lathe. If you have a lathe, turn down a 7/16 dia. rod to 5/16 dia. for a length of 5/16 inch. Thread to the shoulder with a 5/16 - 2h NF die and drill a 1/8 dia. hole 1,0 inch deep down the center of the drum. Part off so the 7/16 dia. is 5/8 in. long. Turn the part around, face off and tap drill with a #25 (.1495) drill, 1/4 deep. Tap with a #10 - 24NC bottoming tap, 1/4 deep. If you only have a drill press, get a 5/16 dia. rad 2.0 long and a 7/16 dia. rod 1 3/4 long. With a 5/16 - 2h die, run a thread down the 5/16 rod for about 1 1/4 inches. Tap drill the 7/16 dia. rod at least 1.0 deep with a letter "I" (.272) drill and tap with a 5/16 - 24 tap at least 7/8 deep. Cut the tapped end of the 7/16 dia. rod off so you have a sleeve 3/4 long with threads in it. Screw this on the other part so that 5/16 of 5/16 ~ 2h thread sticks out. Flux with liquid type soldering flux and sweat solder together with a small torch. When it cools down, cut off the 5/16 unthreaded end of the rod flush with the 7/16 dia. sleeve. Drill thru’and tap as instructed above to tinish up the drum. Make the spacer out of a 5/16 hex nut. File the spacer to match the drum. Screw the drum into the barrel and tighten. File two flats on the drum 90 degrees from where the nipple will be for wrench flats. Do not drill and tap the drum for the nipple yet. 5 - SIGHTS - The sights are installed in two dovetail notches in the barrel. Make the daveratl notches hy filing a groove acracs the harral 1/16 deen and S/16 wide at the tun locations where the sights will go. Grind off the teeth on one side of a three cornered File to make a safe edge. With the safe edge of this file against the bottom of the notch, you can file out the corners to finish the dovetail notch. Hake the sight bases from a strip of steel 1/8 x 13/32 x 2 by filing the corners off at a 60 degree angle. Try the Fit of the base in the barrel often as you get close to the finished size. The fit should be too tight to install by hand but light hammer taps should easily drive the base Into the barrel. Do one base at a time and do not mix them up once they are fitted. Make the front and rear sight blades from 1/8 steel. Rivet the blades to the bases with 1/16 dia. pins as shown. Use 16 gauge nails as the rivets. 6 - LOCK PLATE - The lock plate is made from 1/8 steel sheet. Cut out and file to the shape shown. File the edges with a slight taper so that the plate will fit tight in the stock. Locate all the holes in tha plate and center punch.Tap the correct holes with a #10 - 24 NC thread. Drill the 3/8 hammer axle hole with a 5/16 drill first, then finish with a 3/8 dia. drill. Drill the sear bar axle hole with a #14 (.182) drill and press in a 3/16 rod, 1/2 inch long In this hole. Dril} the spring stop hole with a letter "DY (.246) drill and press In a I/k dia. rod, 9/16 long in this hole. Drill a 5/32 hole in the correct spot for the spring guide tall to slide in. Drill a #60 (.040) hole in the sear bar axle for the sear spring. Draw file the outside surface of the lock plate and you should not be able to see the ends of the two pressed in shafts. 7. ~ HAMMER AND AXLE - The hammer shank Is made from 1/4 steel sheet while the hanmer head Ts made from a 3/8 dia. rod. Cut out the hammer shank to the indicated shape and chamfer the outer edge as shown. File the 3/8 rod to the shape shown. Gas weld the head and chank together. Weld al! around the joint with a nice Fillet wold to minimize the filing you will do. Check the overall shape of the hanmer against the drawing. If it Is alightly out, cold bend it to the right shape and finish file all over. Use a smooth rat tail to clean up the inside corners. Drill the hanmer face 3/16 deep with a l/h dia. drill. Flat bottom drill with a 1/4 dia. drill 1/4 deep. Saw a slot in the top of the hanmer head down to the flat bottom hole. This is used to help extract stuck caps from the hanmer. Drill the 3/8 hole in the hammer, Press in and use @ cross pin to retain the axle in the hammer. 8 - TUMBLER - The tumbler is made from 1/4 thick steel. Cut out and file to the indiseted shape. Drill o 3/8 dia, hole as shown. Drill @ 1/16 dia. hule and press in a 1/16 dia. pin. Do not add the sear notches at this time. Make a washer out of brass shim stock .020 thick with a 3/8 1.D. and a 3/4 0.D. Install the hammer in the lock plate with the washer in between them. Make a washer out of paper with a 3/8 1.D. and install it on the hammer axle between the lock plate and the tumbler. Align the hanmer and tumbler in the position shown by the solid lines on the small drawing and drill thru with a 1/16 dia. drill, Make a 1/16 dia. steel pin 7/8 inches long. Remove the paper washer. Assemble the tumbler to the axle and you will have the proper operating clearance. 9 - SEAR - The sear is made from 1/4 thick steel. Cut out and file to the indicated shape. Leave about .020 stock on the sear release face to be trimmed at assembly with the tumbler. Drill a 3/16 hole for the sear axle and a #31 (.120) for the 1/8 dia. release pin to press into. Press in a 1/8 dia. pin 3/4 long as shown. 10 - GUIDE - The guide is cut out of 1/16 sheet to the shape shown. Leave the tail a little Tong where it fits through the spring stop. Drill the small hole with a #60 (.040) 111 before you thin down the tail so that you can get the hole in the center of the + This hole will be used to hold the spring on the guide during assembly of the lock plate. 11 = HAMMER AND SEAR SPRINGS - The hanmer spring was designed to be built from a screen door spring available In most hardware stores. Use the kind that are plated, not painted. Ours measured .340 0.0. with .050 dia. wire. Cut off a length of the spring with 35 complete coils. Stretch it out to about 10 inch total length and slide it back on a 3/16 rod. Compress the spring back down to solid height and you now have the main spring. It should take about 14 Ibs. push to compress the spring to solid height. If you want to make your own spring, get a 36 in. piece of .O45 dia. piano wire. Saw a slot across the end of a 7/32 dia. rod 4 in, long. Make a 90° bend in the piano wire at one end about 1/4 long. Hook this in the slot and with the other end of the 7/32 rod in a hand drill, wind the entire length of wire onto the rod. You should get about 37 conplete coils. Remove from rod, stretch and set as above, trim ends and you have your own main spring. The sear spring Is made from .031 dia. wire 1.5 in. long, shaped as shown. 12 - SEAR NOTCHES - The sear release face on the sear bar should be a radius with the center in the center of the 3/16 hole. The corner of the sear should be sharp and square.When you have finished the shaping, install the sear back on the lock plate. Install the hammer, tumbler, spring guide and main spring. Pull the hammer back to full cock. Notice how’ the guide stops on the lump on the sear bar. This is the full cock position. The hammer should fly forward from this position if you let it go. Pull the hammer to the full cock position. Hark where the sear bar touches the tumbler. File the full cock notch in the tumbler. Use the safe edge three cornered file with the safe edge in contact with the release surface. Make the notch about 1/16 deep. Relieve the tumbler so that the sear bar engages the sear notch about 1/32 of an inch. The sear notch surface should be perpendicular to a line between the sear sharp notch corner and the center of the sear bar axle. 13 - TRIGGER - The trigger is made from 1/4 steel. Lay out and cut out to the shape shows, Round the front of the trigger where your Finger will be, Drill a 1/16 dla, hole as shown. 1h = TRIGGER GUARD - Bend the trigger guard from a steel strip 3/32 x 7/16 x 11 inches long. Grind and File the bottom surface to a round shape but leave the top flat where it will touch the stock. Drill and counter sink two holes to fit the #6 flat head brass screws which hold the trigger guard to the stock. 15 - NIPPLE - The nipple should be made from an Allen screw with a 1/h - 28 threaded portion about 1/2 in. long. File down or turn down one end to .170/.171 dia. by 3/16 Tong. Check the diameter by Titting on the caps you wiTl use. They should go on easy, but not fall off. File two wrench flats down to the .170 dia. about 1/8 long. Cut to length shown and drill a #60 (.040) hole thru the nipple. Chamfer the end so the #11 cap will easily go on the nipple and chamfer the inside of the nipple so that 2 small land about 1/32 wide remains. This narrow land helps concentrate the blow of the hammer on the cap primer material and eliminates misfires. Heat the nipple bright red and quench in water. Polish the .170 dia. part and reheat to just turn straw color on the polished part. The nipple should now be very hard. 16 - PATCH BOX - The patch box parts are made from .032 thick brass. Lay out the various pieces and cut out with tin snips. Leave the ears on the door and the hinge piece about 3/8 long so you can roll them around the hinge pin. The hinge pin Is a piece of 1/16 dia. nail, 1.0 inch long. Nake a brass strip 5/16 by 1/2 and bend to the shape shown. Soft solder thts part to the door and tt ts the arm that the spring acts on to keep the door closed. Hake the door closure spring from a piece of hacksaw blade by grinding off the teeth. Soften the blade by heating to a dull red color with a small torch. Drill a 1/8 dia. hole as required and bend to the shape shown. Reheat the blade to a cherry red color and quench in oi! to reharden the spring. Drill and counter sink all the holes in the patch box parts to fit #4 flat head brass screws. 17 ~ BUTT PLATE - Make the butt plate from 1/16 steel to the shape shown. Drill and counter stnk the two holes to fit two #8 oval head steel screws. 18 - TOE PLATE - Make the toe plate from brass stock .035 to .050 thick, 3/4 In. wide by 3.1/2 in, long. Drill and counter sink the two holes to fit #4 flat head brass screws. 19 - MUZZLE CAP, STOCK SPACCR AND RANROD FERRULES - These are all made from 1/32 brass. Use the end of the barrel or the Tittle plece you cut off as a pattern to scribe around for the front part of the muzzle cap. Trim to fit the barrel. The other part of the muzzle cap is made froma 1 x 2 piece of brass. Shape as shown and soft solder together. Use the same technique to make the stock spacer, The ramrod ferrules are both made from al x 1 3/4 piece of brass. Anneal the brass by heating to a dull red and quench in water. Wrap one layer of masking tape around the shank of a 3/8 drill. Form the ferrule around the tape and squeeze the flanges together in a vise. Do not drill the 1/16 hole in these parts yet.20 - STOCK = The chotce Of stock wood Is up to you. We recommend walnut, maple or cherry. The most economical way to make a stock is from two flat boards which you carve out and glue together before finishing. The stock can be made from a board 5/8 x 10 x 36. Lay out two halves of the stock and the forearm and rough out. Nail the two halves tovether with 1 inch long nails in the area of the patch box. the lock and forward of the stock spacer location. Finish the outside shape of the stock. You can save a lot of cutting If you make the edge of the board the top of the stock that Is at the center line of the barrel. You will have to glue on two little triangular blocks to bring the stock up to the top of the barrel just past the breech end of the barrel. Separate the two halves of the stock and layout where the barrel and ram rod will go. Chisel out most of this wood. Glue the two halves of the stock together with "white" glue. We use Elmer's Glue. Remove the Urecch pluy frum the barrel. Inlet the barrel inty Ue stuck by chiseling away the wood which interferes with the barrel. You can mark the high spots by coating the barrel with carbon from a candle and this will show where wood must be removed to finish inletting the barrel. This is a slow tedious job but keep at it and you will get done. If you want to save some work, look into fiberglass bedding methods. The forearm is easily scooped out if you have a table saw. By setting the blade at the correct height and location from the saw fence you can take out all the wood except the two 45° portions in the corners of the barrel relief. Trim the front of the stock and install the stock spacer using the barrel as a guide. Locate the tenons on the barrel and drill 1/16 holes into the barre! no more than 3/32 deep. Make the necessary 1/16 diameter tenon pins and attach the tenons by soft soldering them in place using a torcn and liquid soldering flux. Relieve the stock and forearm to accept the tenon blocks. You can make a nice small chisel for this work from a small screw driver. Install the breech plug and inlet this and the tang into the stock. Take your time and get a good fit. Attach the butt plate to the stock. Now locate where the 1/8 dia. barrel pins plerce the stock and go through the tenons. You can measure down from the top of the barrel and from the muzzle to locate the holes. Drill in a drill press and insert the 1/8 dia. barrel pins. Install the breech plug tang screw. Note the shape of the stock around the lock plate. It is left high and this same shape Is also maintained on the opposite side of the rifle. This high area is about 3/32 above the rest of the stock. Carve the stock to the shape shown In the various cross sectional views. Use a metal file to shape the wood next to the tang, butt plate and stock spacer. Disassemble the lock plate, OrIT1 Uo 5/16 dla, ules for Ute sear bar axle at stop to enter the stock, Place the plate on the stock using the drum as a guide. sharp thin bladed knife, outline the plate by cutting into the stock about 1/16 inch. Remove the wood inside this outline to a depth of 1/8 inch. Mark the stock through all the holes in the lock plate with a sharp pencil. Drill two 3/16 dia. holes through the stock for the lock retainer screws. apr ing tha Drill a 3/8 dia. hole 7/8 deep to provide an operating hole for the sear bar pin. Assembly the lock plate with the hammer and remove the wood which interferes with the tumbler. Install the sear bar and remove the necessary wood. Repeat the operation with the lock in the full cock position. Keep adding parts to the lock and clearing out as necessary until the fully assembled lock fits and functions in the stock. Chisel out the stock with a 1/4 wide chisel to acconmodate the trigger. Install the trigger with a 1/16 dia. pin about 1 1/4 long. Inlet the ferrules into the forearm and pin in place using the same technique as you did for the tenons. Make a long drill by having a I/l dia. rod at least 40 inches long brazed on the end of a 3/8 dia. drill. With this drill through the ferrules, drill into the stock down to the first screw that holds the lock plate. Shape the front of the forearm to accept the muzzle cap. Epoxy the cap in place. Now locate where the nipple should be from the hammer. Drill and tap with a #3 (213) drill and 1/4 - 28 tap and insert the nipple.21 PATCH _DOX AND TOE PLATE - Chisel out tne rectangular hole tor the patch box. Inlet the cover and hinge assemble in the stock. Install the two #4 flat head brass Screws, File the stock to be flush with the brass parts. Inlet the two brass side plates and screw down. File the surfaces flush. Inlet the toe plate, attach and file flush with the stock. Install the little spring cover latch and bend the catch around until it holds the cover closed. 22 = RAM ROD - The ram rod is a wooden dowel about 3/8 in. dia. It must be made from a good straTght grained piece of wood. Hickory is the best material. The ends may be Protected with 3/8 0.0. brass tubes about 1 inch long if you wish. Splice two short rods as shown If you cannot find a long enough single rod. The rod may be given the distinctive "tiger stripe" by wrapping a 3/8 wide ribbon of masking tape in a spiral around the rod leaving about 3/8 of bare wood exposed. Char the wood with a small torch and strip off the tape. Wax or Museed ull the ram rod. 23 - METAL PARTS FINISH - Completely disassemble the rifle. Polish the brass with fine emery cloth and wire brush the surface to slightly dull it. Go over all the steel parts and draw file out all remaining dents or unsightly marks. Keep the tool marks running one direction and do not round off those corners which should be sharp. Stamp or scribe your name, date and the gun caliber on the barrel between the rear sight and the breach. If you stamp the barrel, draw file the raised metal around the letters to get nice sharp lettering, The original muzzle loading guns were browned by a rusting process. If you want your rifle to look old and authentic simply let the steel parts rust. The rusting Process can be helped aluny by degreasing tne steel parts with lacquer thinner and keeping your finger prints off the clean parts. A light rubbing down with a small pad soaked in liquid soldering flux will promote the rusting process. Wire brushing the parts every 3 to 6 hours will keep excessive pitting from occurring. Practice on sume steel scrap first to develop the process and your patience. You may also buy commercial browning solution from many gun shops. Follow the manufacturer's directions. When the browning operation is done oil or wax all the steel parts. We prefar ta lat the brace parte tarnich down to a more authentic color so we leave them bare. Reassemble the lock plate, install the breech plug, sights, and drum and nipple in the-barrel. 24 ~ STOCK FINISH - Clean up the stock with fine sand paper. Use sanding blocks and do not round off any sharp inletted corners. Remove any oily smudges with a clean rag and lacquer thinner. The original guns had a dark reddish brown color on the stock. You can approach this by mixing comercial wood stains. Get a can of natural walnut and a can of cherry wood stain. Mix about half and half proportions. Practice on a scrap piece Of the stock wood to get the color you desire. Stain the stock all over. The most authentic Finish ean be obtained by using boiled linseed of! and rubbing it into the surface of the stock. 25 ~ PROOF TESTING - In the interest of safety. do not shoulder fire the rifle until you have proof tested it. Use round balls of the diameter recommended by the barrel manu~ facturer. For a .45 caliber barrel this will be between .435 and .4iS diameter. Use only black powder in the rifle. Get the granulation called FFFG or more commonly called “triple F.'" Use number 11 rifle caps. Get some blue denim cloth for the patch material and cut out a lot of 1 inch diameter circles. Go to a location where it is safe to shoot the rifle, Dry the bore and fire a few caps to clear the nipple. Leave a fired cap on the nipple. Load the barrel with 120 to 130 grains of FFFG black powder. An empty .38 Special cartridge case will hold about 24 grains of FFFG black powder when filled level to the case mouth. So use about 6 cases of powder. Soak @ patch in saliva and place the patch on the muzzle. Put a ball in the middle of the patch and ram it down the barrel. Make sure you get the ball down on the powder but do not pound on it. Repeat with a second ball. The rifle is now loaded with a double charge of powder and ball. Tie the le to a suitable restraint and rig up a long string (about 40 feet) so you can firethe aun while you are behind some protection. Cock the rifle and cap with a live cap. Get behind the protection and fire the gun. Examine the gun closely for gas leak narks, loose plugs, drum or nipple. If It looks good repeat the proof shot. If no problems show up after this shot, the rifle is safe to shoulder fire. A normal load for this rifle is about 65 grains of FFFG and one patched ball. Minie balls should be greased and not patched. Wet a patch and clean the bore of powder residue every 5 shots or so to keep from getting a ball stuck In the bore during loading. If you ever get a ball stuck In the bore before It gets to the powder do NOT try to shoot it out. Elther use a ram rod with a "worm attachment to extract the ball or take the rifle apart and drive the ball out from the breech end. Always wear shooting glasses when firing any muzzle loading gun to protect your eyes from flying bits of caps and powder residue. Thoroughly wash out the bore and drum assembly when you are through firing the gun. Plain water is the best powder solvent you can use. Dry and oll the bore, etc. when the gun is clean. Read all you can on the care and feeding of muzzle loading guns and how tovuse them safely. “The st ght radus-on- the JACO-KENTUCKY RIFLE-1s=such=that-if-youtmove. the sights 1/32 of an inch, the bullet impact point wil! move 3.6 inches at a range of 100 yards.ove RS FRONT Stent 100, BRASS TUBE che Ma STEEL RanRoo Te 2 ' Fe - Si 5 + % Y 0.0, BRASS TUGE atest --—4+-— == eee ig p--4=-- Heirs ~Kentucky Riece A5ca~ 2 2 [ete : OL & SACO designs= SS ——— i = = _{ 6 Bwasner 12) SPACER @®) TANG screw *O-24*174 FT HD.5c. [lear 's) cRUM -@2) BARREL .45 CAL. 42% @aaean ovr VYcacRoss FLATS Pug 44. LONG 1 TURNGS JACO FERcUSSION Lock BACK ACTION TYPE BREECH PLUG ASSEmeLY. sTee G4) TRIGGER GUARD By STEEL ere, 10-24 THOPATCH GOK HINGE Yaz, BRASS sTock spacer 30% Yar BRASS 4-4 = t a an aa SEA _| 8 oo Se : 2H | re — ee SSE Yer Brass r popes j ena a ooo = TO em Le - a Ye SIA. 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